Secretary

Jacob Oliva

Secretary, Arkansas Department of Education

Commissioner, ADE Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Jacob Oliva, a lifelong educator, as secretary of the Arkansas Department of Education in January 2023.

As secretary, Oliva’s leadership was instrumental in the passage of the LEARNS Act, a comprehensive restructuring of Arkansas’ education system. Oliva has since guided the implementation of LEARNS, which focuses on the importance of early learning programs, reading supports, and Career and Technical Education, in addition to empowering parents and recruiting and retaining the best educators.

Since the implementation, Arkansas is leading the nation in starting teacher salaries, empowering parents with school choice options, and assisting struggling learners.

In addition to serving as secretary of education, the State Board of Education selected Oliva as commissioner of ADE’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2023. As commissioner, Oliva oversees all state-led programs involving early learning and K-12 education in Arkansas.

Prior to being named secretary and commissioner, Oliva served in numerous senior leadership roles at the Florida Department of Education supporting more than 2.8 million students in approximately 3,600 Florida public schools.

Oliva is a graduate of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida. He began his educational career more than two decades ago as an elementary teacher for students with special needs. He later served as a principal at both the elementary and high school levels and as a superintendent at Flagler County Schools.